BALTIMORE — An intimate Memorial Day ceremony at Loudon Park National Cemetery honored the service and sacrifice of veterans buried there, with a special focus on Black and Brown service members whose stories are often overlooked.
His great-great-grandfather fought for freedom, this Memorial Day he honored his legacy
The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, in conjunction with the Baltimore National Cemetery Complex, hosted the ceremony Monday morning at the cemetery on Frederick Avenue.
Loudon Park National Cemetery is one of the original national cemeteries established during the Civil War. The 5.24-acre site is the final resting place for more than 7,000 veterans and eligible dependents, including five Medal of Honor recipients.
This year’s ceremony centered on remembrance — not only for the fallen, but for veterans whose contributions have historically gone untold.
For Alvin Douglas Blake, the day was personal.
Blake came to pay respects to his great-great-grandfather, John Burke, who is buried at Loudon Park National Cemetery. Blake said Burke was enslaved in Dorchester County before joining the Union Army during the Civil War.
“I’m here to just celebrate the life and the legacy of my great-great-grandfather who fought in the Civil War,” Blake said.
Blake said his family discovered Burke’s burial site after finding old pension papers among his grandmother’s belongings.
“We went through some of her things and there it was — his pension papers from fighting in the Civil War,” Blake said.
He said Memorial Day is a time when he visits multiple cemeteries to honor family members who served, including his father and uncles.
“On this day, I generally make my rounds to the cemeteries to pay tribute,” Blake said.
For Blake, remembering veterans like Burke also means recognizing what Black service members endured after returning home.
“Just to acknowledge the fight that they continued to have to fight after the war was over,” Blake said.
The Memorial Day ceremony included military honors and remarks from keynote speaker Sabrina Clark, Director of Human Capital Services and Chief Learning Officer for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
As the nation approaches its 250th birthday, organizers said the ceremony served as a reminder that liberty is never free — and that every generation has a responsibility to remember those who sacrificed for it.
At Loudon Park National Cemetery, that remembrance included names, stories and legacies that many are working to make sure are no longer forgotten.
